Colorado University Athletics
Teammates Out To Defend Same Title
As the University of Colorado Track and Field team prepares to host the Big 12 Track and Field Championships, Pete Janson and Billy Nelson are gearing up to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase; an event in which they both hold a championship title.
Pete Janson
Janson and Nelson are both seniors at CU. Janson is the 2006 Big 12 Champion. He redshirted the 2007 outdoor season. Nelson is the defending Big 12 Steeplechase Champion.
The teammates are looking forward to defending their Big 12 titles in
“To come back and defend it and to run against Pete, who won it two years ago, is great,” Nelson said. “It feels good to have it in
Nelson’s time of 8:47.89 put him in first place in the steeplechase at last year’s meet.
Janson secured the 2006 title with his time and personal best of 8:44.76.
“I think it’s really cool that we are both champions, and we are running together here,” Janson explained. “We’re hoping to put on our strongest distance performance in
The two have run against each other before in practice and in outdoor races, but this will be the first time when the two are both contenders for the number one steeplechase position.
Janson and Nelson noted that competing at altitude could present a challenge for some of the out-of-state teams, but for them, it’s what they have been used to.
“For us in previous years [at the Big 12 Championships], we had to run at sea level and we had to adjust to the humidity. But we do well in the distance whether we’re at altitude or not, so it’s not going to make a difference for us,” Nelson observed.
Billy Nelson
As the school year has ended for most students, these two just finished finals and now focus on the Big 12s and the Olympic trials. Janson explained that the track and field team is concentrating on training hard and making sure that they are ready to make a run for the top spot at the conference meet.
Janson and Nelson are preparing for some tough competition; both agreeing that the Big 12 has gotten more competitive during their time at CU. Janson says the whole track team is aware of their increasingly talented opposition.
“It’s not going to be a walk in the park; at the end of the day, we have to show up,” Janson said. “Everyone knows what they have to do. Since I was a freshman, it has gotten harder in every single event in the Big 12.”
Nelson has confidence in his team and he admires the growth that he has witnessed throughout his time as a Buff. For him, “it would be the icing on the cake if we could make the podium in our own town.”
The Big 12 Track and Field Championships will be held on Friday, May 16 through Sunday May 18.